ICBC Claims In
Vancouver &
Burnaby

If your recovery is taking longer than expected, our practitioners can recommend additional treatments. This is why it is important that our practitioners do a thorough initial and follow-up assessments in order to create very clear and specific functional related goals. By providing a thorough assessment, your recovery outcomes are easier to track and monitor.

ICBC provides treatment approval for functional related goals. You may not be able to perform the same activities that you could prior to your accident. Activities such as, but not limited to:

• Grocery shopping
• Sitting at a desk
• Laundry
• Prolonged standing
• Vacuuming or cleaning up around the house
• Driving and shoulder checking
• Running
• Cycling
• Playing sports
• Range of motion
• Exercising at the gym
• Other movement related goals

Which practitioner should been seen after an accident?

RMT

With so many options for treatment, it can be confusing who to see after an accident. If you are in a lot of pain, it may be helpful to see an RMT first to help to manage and calm down the early stages of pain, as it may be difficult to move or exercise. Your RMT will do their best to work with you to find a comfortable level and type of treatment based on the assessment findings. You will also be provided techniques to stretch, move, strengthen, and more, in order to learn tools that help you to independently manage your pain or injuries at home.

Here are the types of treatment that our RMTs provide:

• Myofascial techniques
• Trigger point therapy
• Muscle stripping
• Passive pin & stretch
• Active pin & stretch
• Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF)
• TMJ
• Stretching techniques
• Swedish massage (relaxation)
• And more!

Physiotherapy

It may also be a good choice to see a Physiotherapist after your accident. If you have had a concussion alongside your injuries, it is a important to get assessed by a Physio. Our Physios are trained to assess for concussions, and provide specific exercises to help you recover.

Physios can also assess you for musculoskeletal or neurological injuries, provide treatment, and an exercise program to do at home. Please see below for further information about the types of assessment, treatment, and exercises Physios provide.

Here are the types of assessments that our Physiotherapists provide:

• History
• Joint range of motion – passive, active, and resisted
• Neurological
• Vestibular
• Eye movement/tracking
• Concussion
• Strength
• Functional movement
• Running 

Here are the types of treatment our Physiotherapists provide:

• Stretching – active and passive modalities
• Vestibular
• Concussion
• Headaches 
• Mulligan Technique
• IMS – Dry needling
• Myofascial treatment
• Joint manipulations
• Traction 

Here are the types of exercises our Physiotherapists provide:

• Strength training
• Mobility/Stretching
• Corrective exercise
• Functional training
• Movement feedback and modification
• Activities of Daily living modification
• Concussion
• Vestibular
• Eye tracking

Kinesiology

 

Typically, ICBC patients may have difficulty moving or exercising after an accident. We commonly recommend our ICBC patients to see Kinesiology a few weeks after your accident. If you are able to move comfortably, but at a reduced capacity, Kinesiology may be started from the onset of injury as well. Getting assessed and referred to a Kinesiologist can be done through your RMT or Physio if you are unsure if you are fit to exercise.

 

Regardless, our Kinesiologists are trained to be able to accommodate and modify exercise and movement to match your current capacity level.

 

 

How does Kinesiology differ from Physiotherapy?

 

Typically, a Physiotherapist’s role in ICBC recovery involves providing hands on treatment such as soft tissue release, IMS needling, mobilizations, etc. and an exercise plan for home. There may not always be exercise performed in session (it will depend on the stage of your recovery and the type of Physio you see), or it may be a more brief demonstration.

 

A Kinesiologist, on the other hand will be assisting and guiding you through exercises for most of the session, but will not typically provide hands on treatment. You can think of a Kinesiology session as more similar to personal training while still also making considerations and adjustments for your injuries and pain. Personal trainers, however, are not certified to provide ICBC treatment.

 

You may have heard of Kinesiology referred to as “active rehab”. If you would like to learn more about the differences between Kinesiology and personal training, please read more in our blog post, “Kinesiology vs Personal Training”.

 

Our Kinesiologists administer and provide exercise programs that are specifically tailored to your needs and goals, and will work together with your Physio and RMT. This plan is administered under close supervision by your Kinesiologist to ensure maximum benefit and safety. You will receive feedback and assessment throughout your session that will help you better understand movement, pain, functionality, and injuries better.

 

Here are the types of exercises that our Kinesiologists provide:

 

• Self-massage techniques
• Active, passive, and 3-dimensional stretching
• Resistance training
• Strength training
• Plyometric training
• Fascial sling training (Anatomy Trains)
• Mace/clubbell training
• Throwing based training
• Dynamic based training
• Gait/running-based training
• Breathing techniques
• Postural exercises
• & more